Posts Tagged ‘Holidays at the Empress of Little Rock’

It is the time of year for holiday parties, lavish decorations, and…shopping…!!! Lots and lots of shopping! Brown paper packages tied up with string!!! I think you get the point…

Join us from November 1st thru November 24th for a two night shopping getaway with your sister, your Mom, or your best friend, for an old fashioned Christmas Shopping Getaway-Miracle on 21st Street Shopping Package! Time to shop ’til you drop, and then join us back at The Empress for Hot Apple Cider (spiked if you like) and a massage to loosen up those muscles and rejuvenate those tired aching feet. Then enjoy a wonderful dinner at one of our many outstanding restaurants (let us make your reservations for you) Ciao, Brave New Restaurant, Ristorante’ Capeo, Bruno’s, Cache, they’re all great.

Join us for breakfast each morning and be pampered with Pumpkin Puff Pancakes with Hot Cider Sauce, or Ham Bundles with Hollandaise and then shop all over again, OR relax by the fire, sip on hot cocoa, eat peanut brittle, and enjoy the relaxation while an elf wraps your packages! The miracle will be that you ever shopped any other way!

Two nights in the room of your choice

Directions to all the best shopping in Little Rock

Two Gourmet Breakfasts to start the each day off right

one hour massage for each of you (pkgs. quoted for 2 people)

Pre-Christmas goodies!! (we make a whale of an old fashioned eggnog!!)

Holiday Gift Wrapping (gifts must be boxed; wrapping done by good naturedelves who need plenty to time to do it justice)

We are so excited to be selected for a feature in the Special Christmas Issue of Victorian Homes Magazine!!! The 8 page article perfectly describes The Empress as a Victorian treasure from the 19th century. It tells about the grand history of the mansion, from the original owner’s death shortly after completion in 1888, to becoming Arkansas’s first women’s college, all the way up to present day as an Award winning Bed & Breakfast.

“We’re delighted that the editors choose to feature The Empress of Little Rock, with all of her Christmas flair. From the smell of pine cones wafting through the foyer into the sitting parlors and guest suites, to fireplace mantles graciously decorated and an electric train that circles the glittering, heavily ornamented Victorian tree, we hope to give our guests a true Victorian Christmas,” says owner Sharon Welch-Blair. “We’re especially delighted they chose to highlight our Downton Abbey New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner Dance, which has been an area favorite for New Year’s Eve for years. The small intimate nature of this exclusive dinner party which is a throw back to the 19th century, is designed to celebrate a simpler but more elegant way of connecting with the good things of life we’re having trouble discovering in today’s hectic lifestyle.

This year we will decorate at the beginning of December, just in time to be showcased in this year’s Christmas in the Quarter, a tour of homes conducted around the historic Quapaw Quarter of Little Rock. We hope everyone can come experience the yards of live garland, festive Christmas music, and several Christmas trees from different eras that delight our guests every year! Join us for our daily tours at 11:30 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. during the holiday season and see what Victorian Homes Magazine was so excited to feature, a true old-fashioned Christmas in an amazing Victorian mansion. The cost is $10.00 per person.

The Blair’s granddaughter Jena has spent the summer busily working at The Empress. She has been a huge help, doing everything from answering phones and taking reservations to cleaning rooms and checking in guests. Another great thing she brings to the table is the optimism and ingenuity of youth. A great example of this young, fun attitude is a recent birthday celebration we had for Shana, Sharon’s executive assistant. A birthday of a staff member is always celebrated with a card and a cake (or sometimes cupcakes!) and it fell on Jena to order the cake and buy the card for this particular celebration. The cake was ordered in plenty of time (and, being from Community Bakery, was absolutely DELICIOUS) but the card was forgotten until the last minute. Instead of a last minute dollar store run or a quick search for appropriate clip art, (solutions we old people would embrace) Jena wasted no time in breaking out her youthful creativity and art skills and quickly created a card using nothing but paper, pens, sharpies and a lot of imagination. Shana pronounced it the best card to ever be presented at The Empress (and the cupcake wasn’t all that bad either!).

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American progressive rock band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O’Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. The band gained in popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their third rock opera, “Beethoven’s Last Night.” By 2007, The Washington Post referred to them as, “a touring juggernaut” and describing their music as, “Pink Floyd, meets, The Who, meets Yes.” TSO has sold more than 9 million concert tickets and over 8 million albums. The band’s musical style incorporates classical, orchestral, symphonic, and progressive elements into hard rock and heavy metal. The band has released a series of rock operas: Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, Beethoven’s Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve (the final installment of their Christmas trilogy), and their two-disc Night Castle. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is also known for their extensive charity work and elaborate concerts, which include a string section, a light show, lasers,”enough pyro to be seen from the international space station”, moving trusses, video screens, and effects synchronized to music.

Both Billboard Magazine and Pollstar have ranked them as one of the top ten ticket-selling bands in the first decade of the new millennium These numbers are even more impressive when you factor in that TSO is the first major rock band to go straight to theaters and arenas, never playing a club, never having an opening act and never being an opening act.

See this amazing show in Little Rock on Friday, December 20, 2013! This show sells out nearly every year here in the Rock, so get your tickets now! Bring your friends or your significant other and enjoy a weekend at The Empress topped off by the TSO playing The Lost Christmas Eve!!!

We love having friends, family, neighbors and guests to entertain, so nothing is better than having them all together! Our 4th of July celebration (which we combined with the Hornibrook Mansion’s 125th birthday celebration) was so much fun! All of our nearest and dearest gathered in our gardens to eat, drink and be merry. Friendships were renewed and new friendships made and potluck dishes were shared by all. We adore this yearly tradition and cannot wait for next year to do it again!

The Empress’ own Sharon Welch-Blair will be showcasing the talents that have earned her the nickname “The Victorian Martha Stewart” on Saturday Morning Daybreak on December 17th. The Segment, which will air at 7:50 am and will showcase Sharon’s amazing Sweet-Potato Vichyssoise with Peanut Noshes, the first course of the New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner and Dance, where the soup will be served (along with a fabulous 4-course dinner with wine pairings.)

The Dinner Dance was recently featured in About.com’s “Top 9 New Year’s Eve Parties in Arkansas“. Ring in the New Year with elegant style at an intimate dinner party setting and a Champagne Toast at midnight! Tickets are $200 a couple including a special discount if purchased before December 26th.

Tickets for the New Year’s Eve Wine Dinner Dance are available by calling the Empress at 501-374-7966.

Nothing brings the magic of the holiday season to life better than the
world’s favorite ballet, The Nutcracker! Join Ballet Arkansas as they ring in
the holidays with Tchaikovsky’s magical score performed by the Arkansas Symphony
Orchestra. With enchanting costumes and original choreography the tradition of
The Nutcracker will create unforgettable memories for children of every
generation. Showings are Saturday, December 10 at 7pm and Sunday, December 11 at 3pm.

Bring your little sugarplum fairy or prince to the annual Nutcracker Tea to
meet their favorite character. For more details visit
www.BalletArkansas.org.

Groups of 10 or more should call the Box Office at (501)666-1761×100 for
discounted tickets.

After viewing this family favorite, return to The Empress of Little Rock Bed and Breakfast and curl up in front of a fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa and a loved one. A perfect ending to a perfect evening.

The Empress invites you to stay in luxuy at an 1888 Victorian Bed and Breakfast and take in the 2011 Annual Big Jingle Jubilee Holiday Parade. Sponsored by the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the parade will begin at 2nd and Broadway, follow Broadway to Capitol Avenue and then proceed down Capitol Avenue to the State Capitol. An annual tradition, this year’s parade is sure to be an afternoon of festive fun! Santa and Mrs. Claus will be joined by various entries such as marching bands, floats, cars, animals and much more!

Following the parade at dark (approximately 6pm) enjoy the Lighting of the State Capitol Ceremony with entertainment and fireworks!

Want a fun weekend getaway that includes Holiday Magic? Book a room with the Empress to enjoy the festivities in style! Ask us about our Holiday discounts!

Sharon Welch-Blair of The Empress of Little Rock stopped by KATV Saturday morning to make pumpkin puff pancakes….mmm! While there she discussed the upcoming specials being offered for the holidays. Watch the video here!

Our very own Sharon Welch-Blair will be on Saturday Daybreak, Channel 7, tomorrow morning at 8:15. She will be demonstrating how to make one of our guests favorite fall breakfast recipes, Pumpkin Puff Pancakes with Hot Cider Sauce. Find this great recipe below!! We hope you enjoy it! And don’t miss our favorite Victorian “Martha Stewart” on TV discussing all the great things to do in Little Rock during this holiday season. Celebrate all the great activities with a stay using our great “Home For the Holidays” Package, Christmas Magic at The Empress of Little Rock.